Poll Analysis | How willingly many of us pay bribes
Day in and day out, the common man complains about how the country is decaying bit by bit, due to corruption. We stand by in support of anti-corruption movements and the proponents of the Lok pal, that are formulating ways to counter graft that is rampant at the government level, what we also call ‘whole sale’ corruption.
What are we doing to check bribery that is present in every social sphere- whether it is to get a birth or death certificate or to procure a licence? Such bribery has become systemic over a period of time. Enraged citizens vent out their frustration on our portal, of having to part with a few hundred or even thousands of rupees to get certain jobs done. But instances in which we end up in trouble due to our own actions, we prefer to grease the palms of a public official instead of having to put ourselves through the pain of paying a fine or visiting the local police station. Whether it is get away for violating a traffic rule or to speed up a government process, paying a bribe has become convenient to drive away ones worries.
I Paid a Bribe conducted a poll that stated- Bribery or retail corruption cannot be eradicated completely, unless the public refrains from paying bribe to get work done. 90% of the readers agreed with the above mentioned statement whereas the remaining 10% disagreed.
Ironically, many chant anti-corruption slogans against politicians, and at the same time complain about paying bribes to government officials. Most even find it a matter of normalcy to use bribery as an easier means to get jobs done.